Install Waycar on your Host · Waycar Help

Install Waycar on your Host

One command on your Mac or Linux machine finds herdr or tmux, installs the Waycar host tools, and offers to show a Pairing Code.

Run one command on each machine you want to use with Waycar. It finds herdr or tmux, installs the Waycar host tools, and offers to show a Pairing Code so you can add the machine in the app. The same command works for herdr, tmux, or both.

Run the install command

Open a terminal on the Host. Make sure you have what Waycar needs, including Node 20 or later.
Run:

   curl -fsSL https://waycar.dev/install.sh | sh

When it asks to show a pairing QR code, press Return (or type y); the code draws right in the terminal. Then pair with the Pairing Code.

You can also copy the command from the Add Your First Host steps in the app. Tap it to copy; a Mac signed in to the same Apple Account can paste it.

What does it install?

The command downloads the Waycar package, checks its SHA-256 checksum, and unpacks it to ~/.local/share/waycar/plugin. Then:

With herdr on your PATH, it links the Waycar plugin into herdr.
Without herdr but with tmux 3.2 or later, it sets Waycar up for tmux. With an older tmux and no herdr, it stops and asks you to install one of them.
With tmux 3.2 or later, it links the waycar command at ~/.local/bin/waycar and installs Waycar hooks for every supported agent already on the Host, so tmux agents report their status. See Waycar hooks for tmux.
With opencode on your PATH, it installs a small extension for it that Chat Mode uses.

If ~/.local/bin isn’t on your PATH, the command tells you to add it.

herdr and tmux

The pairing offer draws the Pairing Code right in the terminal, on herdr and tmux Hosts alike. To set Waycar up for tmux on a machine that also has herdr, add --tmux:

   curl -fsSL https://waycar.dev/install.sh | sh -s -- --tmux

To skip the agent hooks and the Chat Mode extensions, add --no-hooks. You can add the hooks later with waycar hooks install. On a herdr Host without tmux 3.2 or later, there’s no waycar link; see The waycar command on your Host.

Install options

Flags go after sh -s --, as in the --tmux example above. Environment variables go right before sh in the install command, for example WAYCAR_NO_PAIR=1 sh.

Option	What it does
`--tmux`	Sets Waycar up for tmux even when herdr is installed.
`--no-hooks`	Skips the agent status hooks and the opencode Chat Prompt extension.
`WAYCAR_NO_PAIR`	Set to anything to skip the pairing prompt, for scripted or dotfiles installs.
`WAYCAR_PLUGIN_DIR`	Installs to this absolute folder instead of `~/.local/share/waycar/plugin`. It can’t contain a double quote, backslash or newline, and Waycar won’t replace a folder that holds something else.
`WAYCAR_INSTALL_BASE_URL`	Downloads the package from this address instead of `https://waycar.dev`.
`WAYCAR_PLUGIN_SOURCE`	Installs from a local plugin folder (a checkout’s `plugin/` or an unpacked package) instead of downloading. For testing.

Good to know

Install agents first. Installed one later? Run the install command again so it gets its hooks.
Codex asks you to review new hooks once, on its /hooks screen, before they turn on.
Running the command again updates Waycar and keeps your pairing and notification keys.
For mosh, also install mosh-server on the Host. See mosh.
The command stopped with an error or printed a warning? See The install command fails.
To uninstall, see Remove Waycar from a Host.